Hair curler



R. T. PLATE HAIR CURLER Nov. 7, 1944.

Filed March 8. 1943 /////4////// ).l I l y INVENTOR. ROBERT T.PLATE l ATTORN EYS Patented Nov. 7, 1944 HAIR CURLER Robert T. Plate, Detroit, Mich., assignor, by in esne assignments, to Robert T. Plate, doing business as Curly Lox Products,fDetroit, Mich.

Application March y8, 1943, Serial No. 4178,41?,

' 1 claim. L(o1. 132-33) v This invention relatesgenerally to hair curlers and refers more particularly to those adaptedto .curl hair by a turning action without the aid of heat.

Heretofore, hair curlers of the type -mentioned l have been made of metal .and have consisted of several parts, usually stampings, that have been assembled yand held together by one or more couplings. Thus, several forming operations and assembly operations were requiredk to produce the vcompleted product.

.In the present instance Ihave vovercome the objections to the previous constructions `byproviding a one-piece hair curler that is preferably made from plastic material and hasvslotted 'cyl-' inders of different cross sectional area at opposite ends thereof for producing different size curls.

The improved curler is also provided with longitudinally extending ribs that strengthen and reinforce the curler so that the cylinders at op posite ends thereof may have thinner walls lfor proper Wedging engagement with the clamping ends of conventional metal bob pins when itis desired to transfer the curls made by the curler to said bob pins to be held in place. If the walls of the cylinders were too thick then too big a wedge would be provided for separating the clamping arms of the conventional metal bob pin, hence such arms are apt to be spread apart too far and lose their holding power upon the hair inserted therebetween. Preferably the freev ends of the curler are tapered to facilitate `the wedging action mentioned, and are rounded or curved to facilitate entry of the hair to be curled into the slots in the cylinders.

The ribs mentioned also provide a better grip for the operator when the curler is being turned to make curls in the hair. Such ribs also tend to check any tendency of the curler to roll upon a substantially nat surface such as the top of a dresser when placed thereon by the operator. Preferably the ribs taper from their inner to their outer ends so as to facilitate the removal of the curler from tightly Wound hair.

Moreover, the one-piece curler mentioned is more sanitary than the built-up metal curlers and may be transparent or of any color desired so as to have an ornamental and neat appearance upon a dresser and the like.

Thus, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a hair curler that is an improvement upon conventional curlers, especially upon metal curlers; that has numerous advantages including those specified above; is simple in' construction; economical toy manufacture;

strong and durable; light in weight; easy to apply tothe hair and efficient in operation.

Other objects, advantages and noval details of construction of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

. Figure 1 isa longitudinal sectional view through a hair curler embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the hair ycurler illustrated in Figure 1;-

Figure 3 is an end View of the smaller cylinvdrical portion of the hair curler;

Figure 4 is an end view of the cal portion of the hair curler;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 5 `of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken subf stantially on the line 6 6 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing, A is a onepiece hair curler embodying my invention.

As shown, the curler A is preferably made from plastic material and has cylindrical end portions I0 and II respectively, and an intermediate hollow elongated body portion I2. Preferably the cylindrical end portions I and II are alike in construction except that one is larger in diameter than the other to make larger size curls.

Both cylindrical end portions I ll and I.I are provided throughout their length at diametrically opposite sides thereof with longitudinally extending slots I3 for receiving the strands of hair `to be curled, and are provided upon the outer sides thereof with circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending `ribs I 4 which preferably taper from their inner to their outer ends so as to facilitate the removal of the curler from tightly wound hair. Thus, the walls of the cylindrical portions It and II are materially reinforced and strengthened so that the outer free ends of said portions may be thinner than otherwise for proper wedging engagement with the clamping ends of conventional metal bob pins. Moreover, the ribs I 4 upon the cylindrical portions IU and Il provide a better grip for the operator when turning the curler in the hair to producey curls,'. and tend to keep the curler, from rolling when laid upon a dresser or the like.

By referring to Figures 1 and 2 it will be noted that the cylindrical portions I0 and II are provided at the inner ends of the slots I3 with circumferentially extending anges 2l) and 2| respectively, and that the outer free end of each half of said cylindrical portions is rounded or larger cylindricurved to facilitate the entry of hairI to be curled into the slots I3 and are tapered to facilitate wedging engagement with the clamping arms of bob pins and the like. The flanges 20 and 2I cooperate with the ribs I4 to strengthen the curler. Preferably the flange 2l is hexagonal in conguration to cooperate with the ribs I4 to resist rolling action of the curler on a flat surface.

The body portion I2 is in axial alignment with and is terminally connected to the flanged inner ends ofthe cylindrical portions Ill and I I. Preferably this body portion I2 is circular in cross section and tapers from the flange 2I of the larger cylindrical portion II to the flange 2li o'f the smaller cylindrical portion I0. To provide a non-slip grip for the operator the outer surface of the body portion I2 is roughened -or serrated as illustrated in Figure 2.

In use, either cylindrical portion I or II of the curler may be used for curling hair depending upon the size of curl desired. Initially the strands of. hair to be curled are received in the slot I3 in one cylindrical portion while the other cylindrical portion and body portion l2 collectively serve as a handle for the operator. Then Vthe curler is turned by hand in the usualmanmay be made in any suitable manner from any suitable plastic material and may be transparent or colored, as desired. Likewise, the curler or the cylindrical portions I0 and II thereof may be any size desired. However, regardless of size, each curler is a comparatively lightweight onepiece article and has the essential features and characteristics described above in connection with the construction illustrated in the drawing.

What I claim as my `invention is:

A one piece hair curler comprising an elongated body portion provided with an exterior surface to be gripped by the ngers of an operator, said body portion being provided at its opposite ends with tubular endwise extensions, each tubular extension being provided throughout its length at substantially diametrically opposite sides thereof with relatively narrow longitudinally extending slots for the reception of hair to be curled, said slots opening outwardly through the free ends of said tubular extensions to facilitate insertion of hair into the slots, at least one of said tubular .extensions being provided at its inner end adjacent the elongated body with a polygonal ange of greater cross sectional area than the body for non-rolling engagement with a supporting surface ,for the curler, the tubular extension aforesaid having the polygonal ange being provided yupon its exterior from said flange to its outer free end with circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending ribs for 1onslip engagement with the hand Vof the operatory said ribs being tapered from the ange to the outer free ends of the tubular extension to facilitate the removal of the curler from lightly wound hair thereon.

ROBERT T. PLATE. 

